Film Report Card: Paramount Pictures

“One of the things that we say to each other is consistency of management allows you to put in place long-term strategies,” said Robert Friedman, vice chairman of the motion picture group. “Filmmakers feel comfortable that projects put into development here can actually finish their life (here).”

Unlike most other studios, Paramount — for the time being — can boast a relatively stable top executive corps. And the year at the box office has been stable, too. Blockbuster “Mission: Impossible 2″ ($215 million) ended up as the No. 2 movie of 2000, while “Shaft,” “Rules of Engagement,” “Rugrats in Paris: The Movie,” “Snow Day” and “The Original Kings of Comedy” all toted up healthy numbers.

More disappointing, “Bless the Child” was a dud as was the John Travolta starrer “Lucky Numbers.”

With the exception of the Curtis Hanson-helmed “Wonder Boys,” which generated Oscar buzz in a late-year rerelease, there’s not a lot of risk-taking at Paramount these days, with the studio’s development machine working in overdrive until every story beat clicks: Next year’s tentpole, the Angelina Jolie starrer “Tomb Raider,” has been a marathon development project, but Par is sure that it will produce hefty returns in the summer.

The studio is also especially keen on “Vanilla Sky,” which teams Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz and Cameron Crowe in a remake of the Spanish-language pic “Open Your Eyes.”